Kayla Harrison insists her long-awaited showdown with Amanda Nunes is about competition, not hatred.
The former American Top Team (ATT) stablemates will collide in the UFC 334 co-main event this weekend (Sat., Nov. 14, 2026) from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Harrison will defend her women’s Bantamweight championship against Nunes, who is returning from a three-year retirement in an attempt to reclaim the title she never lost inside the Octagon.
Despite the pair’s complicated history, Harrison says there is no personal animosity heading into their blockbuster title fight.
“There is no hate at all,” Harrison told reporters during UFC 334 media day. “Zero hate. This isn’t a Colby [Covington]-[Jorge] Masvidal. This is not a bad blood grudge fight.”
“This is two women — I truly believe I’m the best in the world, and I truly think she thinks she is the best in the world,” Harrison continued. “And we’re going to go out there Saturday night and leave it all out there and hopefully have the best fight of all time for women.”
That’s a much different interpretation than the one recently offered by ATT founder Dan Lambert.
In an extensive ESPN feature detailing the tension between the former teammates, Lambert suggested Harrison and Nunes “probably hate each other’s f—king guts.”
But the tension did not come out of nowhere.
Nunes also appeared to believe Harrison and members of ATT had been maneuvering toward this matchup for years. After Harrison submitted Julianna Peña to win UFC gold in June 2025, Nunes entered the Octagon for their first faceoff and reportedly asked, “You planned this the whole time, right?”
Harrison understands why Nunes may feel betrayed, but she has repeatedly denied that any secret plan existed.
“But I have zero hate for Amanda,” Harrison said. “I have zero hate for anyone, and that’s saying something because I’ve been f—ked over.”
There may be unresolved tension between them, but Harrison views UFC 334 as a battle for supremacy—not an opportunity to settle a personal score.
She wants to beat Nunes because Nunes is considered the greatest female fighter in MMA history. Nothing more, nothing less.
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